Roof covering



April 7, 1964 s. E. JASTRZEMSKI 3,127,701

ROOF COVERING Filed July 13, 1960 55 INVENTOR.

5mm. F.- Jam-mama BY y ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofilice 3,127,701 Patented Apr. 7, 1964 3,127,701 ROUF CGVERING Stanley E. .lastrzemsld, Bound Brook, NJ, assignor to .iohns-Manvilie Qorporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed .inly 13, 1960, Ser. No. 42m 2 tjlaims. (Cl. 50-492) This invention relates to asbestos-cement shingle roof coverings, and, in particular, relates to an asbestoscement shingle roof covering capable of receiving a class A fire rating for asbestos-cement shingle roof coverings.

An object of this invention therefore is to provide an asbestos-cement roof covering capable of receiving a class A fire rating by the Underwriters Laboratories, wherein the covering is capable of passing the structural load and fire requirements prescribed for class A asbestoscement shingle coverings.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a roof covering of asbestos-cement shingles, wherein at least double coverage of shingles is provided throughout the roof covering.

Still an additional object of this invention is to provide an asbestos-cement shingle roof covering wherein the shingles, juxtapositioned to form the covering, are indexed in a particular manner for purposes of alignment of the shingles for a resultant simple and fast proper application of the shingles during the laying of the roof covering.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an asbestos-cement shingle of a particular shape.

In brief, this invention relates to an asbestos-cement shingle of a pentagonal shape, which when laid up with other shingles to form a roof covering, provides at least a double coverage throughout the roof covering. Such coverage is necessary to have the roof covering attain the minimum strength requirements for class A asbestos-cement shingle roof coverings. Laying up of such shingles is eliected in such a manner and the design of the shingles is such that proper backing is provided for all the joints formed between adjacent shingles of a course according to minimum requirements specified in US. Government building specifications. In addition, each shingle is provided with notched side edges and with perforations ordinarily used for the passage of nails for containment of the shingles. The notches and selected perforations are related to the shingle in a particular novel manner to facilitate alignment of the shingles during laying up of the shingles into courses.

The particular shingle configuration also takes full advantage of certain fabrication systems, in that the particular confi uration allows shingles to be cut from a continuous sheet of asbestos-cement material with very little waste.

These and other objects will be readily apparent from the preceding description and the following more detailed description and the appended drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the shingle of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a portion of a roof covering showing the shingles aligned in a manner to form courses of shingles and with the courses of shingles overlapping each other to form the roof covering; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a continuous sheet of asbestos cement from which the shingles are cut, showing the manner of cutting the shingles so as to fully utilize all of the available material emitting from the output end of a fabrication machine.

Referring to FIG. 1, the asbestos-cement shingle of the present invention is formed into a pentagonal shape. The shingle 2 is made much longer than it is wide, the ratio of its length to its width, the latter being measured from edge 3 to apex 15, being slightly greater than 2:1. As will become more clear hereinafter, no particular ratio of length to width is required. The butt portion of the shingle 2 includes a relatively linear edge 3 having a pair of side edges 4, 5 extending approximately at right angles therefrom. The edge 3 may be formed into various designs, since this edge is exposed to view after laying up of the shingles. For example, it may be stepped or staggered, as shown, or it may be rippled or sinusoidally curved along a linear path. For purposes of this invention, however, the edge 3 is considered to be linear or approximately so. For purposes of simplicity and clarity the portion of the entire roof covering in FIG. 2 is illusstrated as having a simple linear edge at the butt of each shingle.

Side edges 4 and 5 are of equal lengths and form the termini for edges 6, 7 at the head portion of the shingle 2. The latter edges meet at an apex 15, which is located medial of the length of the shingle (measured from side edge 5 to side edge 4). The edges 6, 7 are also equal in length, so that the overall pentagonal shape resembles an isosceles triangle superimposed upon a rectangular base. The edges 6, 7 form the sides of the triangle, and the imaginary line joining the point of juncture of edges 7, 5, and 6, 4 forms the base of the triangle. However, since the shingle is integral, the actual appearance thereof is pentagonal in shape, resembling basically the shadow outline described.

Notches 3, 9 are formed in the edges 4, 5, respectively, and they are located approximately two-thirds the length of a side, measured from the butt edge 3. It should be understood that this particular location is not critical, as will be brought out more fully hereinafter.

Perforations Ill, 12, 13, and 14 are formed Within the body area of the shingle. These provide for passage of nails or other type of fastening means therethrough for securing the shingles to a roof deck. Nail holes must be provided in asbestos-cement shingles, in order to prevent cracking of the shingles, which might occur if the shingles were to be pierced by a sharp instrument. Perforations 10 and 14, adjacent the side edges of the shingle, are located slightly below the notches 8, 9 for a purpose hereinafter disclosed.

The shingle 2 is relatively planar, being approximately /4" in thickness. The actual dimensions of a shingle have the length of butt edge 3 approximately 30" and the lengths of side edges 4, 5 approximately 12''. The width of the shingle measured from the butt edge 3 to the apex 15, is approximately 14". Each of the notches in the illustrated shingle is located on its respective side edge so as to be approximately two-thirds up from the base 3; thus, in the instant shingle illustrated, each notch is located 8" from edge 3 measured along the side edge 4 or 5.

Referring to FIG. 2, the shingles 1, 1a, are juxtapositioned each other so that the side edges mate with each other and the butt edges 3, 3a, etc. thereof form an approximately continuous line. The shingles are thusly laid until a complete course is formed.

The next following course of shingles is overlaid the shingles of the first course, allowing for a predetermined exposed surface of the first course. With the instant shingle, the proper exposure of the first course, and all subsequent courses, is provided by having the notches 8, 9 directly superimposed over the apices of two adjacent subjacent shingles. In addition, the locations of the ports or perforations 10, 14, which provide for the passage of nails therethrough, are such that the head edges of the subjacent shingles should be visible therethrough denoting that a shingle has been properly aligned. For fast alignment, for example, nails may be inserted into the ports 10, 14 and the shingle slid over the roof area until the edges or the walls of the nails strike the head edges 6, 7 of the subjacent shingles. The shingle is thereafter moved laterally until the notches 9, 8 are properly aligned with the apices of the shingles subjacent thereto. After such alignment, the nails used during alignment may be secured to the roof deck on which the shingles are laid. The shingles 11, 11b are similarly superimposed on the roof deck and overlaid on the first course of shingles until the second course has been completed. Subsequently, third, fourth, fifth, etc., courses of shingles are similarly applied until the roof covering is complete and all areas of the roof deck are covered thereby.

The particular shingle follows the particular configuration described because of certain requirements necessary to obtain a class A fire rating, when such shingles are installed to form a roof covering, to meet certain building specifications, and also to make the most economical use of a continuous fabricated sheet of asbestos-cement as found at the outlet or output end of an asbestos cement fabricating machine.

'For the obtainment of a class A fire rating on asbestos cement shingle coverings by the Fire Underwriters Laboratory of Chicago, Illinois, certain basic requirements must be met. The covering must be a double covering so as to pass the basic fire testjand also to provide certain mechanical strength characteristics throughout the entire roof covering.

In order to obtain a double coverage arrangement in which the shingle notches of one row of shingles are aligned with the apices of the shingles in the next underlying row, it is necessary that the notch in the side edge of each shingle be located above the midpoint of the side edge a distance at least equal to the distance between the apex and a plane through the upper or head ends of the side edges.

In many building specifications, as, for example, US. Government FHA. specifications, a requirement is found therein that all joints between shingles must be backed completely by unbroken shingle material subjacent the joint, and the continuous subjacent shingle surface must extend for at least 2" beyond the upper exposed portion of the joint.

In the manufacture of asbestos-cement shingles, certain machines produce a continuous sheet, wherein the effective width from which shingles can be out or severed is quite limited. For example, in certain fabricating machines the actual width of a fabricated sheet is approximately With this limited width available, the design of a shingle must be such as to utilize as much of the surface area of the sheet as possible, leaving none or very little of the surface area in the form of scrap.

The present shingle, having the configuration described, meets all these requirements.

With this particular shingle design, at least two layers of shingles are applied over all areas of a roof deck. For example, when considering the course of shingles 11, 11a, 11b, etc. and in particular shingle 11a, it is seen that adjacent the side edges of the shingle 11a, the central portions of shingles 1a and 1b are subjacent thereto, which provide a solid backing for the edges. Adjacent the central portion of shingle 110, the exposed area of the central portion is backed by the edges of the shingles 1a, 1b. The configuration of the shingles is such that the juxtapositioned upper extremities of the side edges of the shingles 1a, 1b coincide with the upper exposed portion area of the central portion of shingle 11a.

In considering a joint area of shingle 11a, for example, a joint formed by the side edges of shingles 11a, 1112, it is seen that at the exposed area of the joint, the latter is completely backed by the'central portion of the shingle 1b subjacent thereto. In addition, the subjacent shingle 1b provides a solid backing for a considerable distance of the joint hidden by the shingle 21b. The upper extremity of the exposed joint is backed by an additional two inches of continuous backing surface comprising the shingle 1b. This backing at all joints is necessary to prevent water during a rainstorm from being blown up along the joint and underneath the shingle 21b, and working its way under the head edges of the shingle 1b.

Referring to FIG. 3, the particular design of the instant shingle also avails itself of all the usable material emitted as a sheet from an asbestos-cement sheet fabrication line. For example, the continuous sheet 16 may be 30" in width. At least one inch along each edge 17, 18 must be subsequently trimmed off to eliminate the ragged edges and the weakened areas adjacent such edges, thereby leaving a usable central portion of approximately 28". The cutters follow a zigzag pattern along the central portion of the sheet 16 to form the head edges 6a, 7a, 6b, 7b, 60, 7c, 6d, etc. of the shingles. The cutter commonly used elfects a dragging action, which produces a relatively ragged area at each of the edges 6a, 7a, 6b, etc. As the sheet is thereafter being continuously emitted, further cuts 19, 20, 21 on one side and 22, 23 on the opposite side are made, thereby forming the rough outline of the shingles. The crude shingles are thereafter separated and passed through an edge trimmer. Considering a rough shingle id, for example, the edges 20 and 21 on the sides, and 6b, 7b at the head portion are trimmed to produce relatively neat edges. The butt edge 17a is thereafter also trimmed to produce the final dimension of the shingle. At edges 20, 21, 6b, and 7b, usually approximately one-half inch need only be trimmed to eifect clean edges therearound. However, at edge 17a, slightly more than one inch must be trimmed, not only to effect the final shingle dimensions but also to eliminate the ragged and weaker sheet edge areas. The layout of the shingles on the continuous sheet is such that maximum trimming is permitted to be had adjacent areas of relatively greater weakness, i.e., adjacent the rough edges of the continuous sheet 16.

While the invention has been described in rather full detail, it will be understood that these details need not be strictly adhered to and that various changes and modifications may suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. An asbestos-cement roof covering comprising a pinrality of asbestos-cement shingles, each of said shingles having parallel side edges substantially equal in length and connected at their butt ends by a butt edge, a head edge extending from the head end of each side edge, the head edges of each shingle meeting at an apex, the shingles being arranged in overlapping courses, and the shingles in each course being in juxtaposed relationship, each side edge of the shingles having a notch located in the upper half thereof a distance from the midpoint of the side edge at least equal to the distance between the apex and a plane through the head ends of the side edges, a notch of each shingle mating with a similarly located notch in the adjacent edge of the next juxtaposed shingle, the mated notches being located approximately at the apex of the underlying shingle of the next lower course, whereby the shingles provide at least double coverage over the roof.

2. The asbestos-cement roof covering as recited in claim 1, each shingle having at least one perforation located so as to be superimposed over one of the head edges of a shingle subjacent thereto to assist in accurately and readily locating the shingle during the laying up of a course.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,070,738 Russell Aug. 19, 1913 6 Batcheller June 17, 1930 Topping Jan. 25, 1938 Arnes June 25, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Australia Apr. 11, 1958 OTHER REFERENCES Keasbey & Mattison Catalogue & Price List, pub. by K & M, Ambler, Pa., 1920, pp. 20 and 21. 

1. AN ASBESTOS-CEMENT ROOF COVERING COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ASBESTOS-CEMENT SHINGLES, EACH OF SAID SHINGLES HAVING PARALLEL SIDE EDGES SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL IN LENGTH AND CONNECTED AT THEIR BUTT ENDS BY A BUTT EDGE, A HEAD EDGE EXTENDING FROM THE HEAD END OF EACH SIDE EDGE, THE HEAD EDGES OF EACH SHINGLE MEETING AT EAN APEX, THE SHINGLES BEING ARRANGED IN OVERLAPPING COURSES, AND THE SHINGLES IN EACH COURSE BEING IN JUXTAPOSED RELATIONSHIP, EACH SIDE EDGE OF THE SHINGLES HAVING A NOTCH LOCATED IN THE UPPER HALF THEREOF A DISTACE FROM THE MIDPOINT OF THE SIDE EDGE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE APEX AND A PLANE THROUGH THE HEAD ENDS OF THE SIDE EDGES, A NOTCH OF EACH SHINGLE MATING WITH A SIMILARLY LOCATED NOTCH IN THE ADJACENT EDGE OF THE NEXT JUXTAPOSED SHINGLE, THE MATED NOTCHES. 